Micah's right back to his best

REFRESHED Micah Richards is ready to prove his critics wide of the mark with a storming end to the season he hopes will carry him back into the senior England fold. The 20-year-old defender looked a shadow of his former self over the Christmas and New Year period and became the object of scorn from some of the less patient home supporters.

REFRESHED Micah Richards is ready to prove his critics wide of the mark with a storming end to the season he hopes will carry him back into the senior England fold.

The 20-year-old defender looked a shadow of his former self over the Christmas and New Year period and became the object of scorn from some of the less patient home supporters.

That criticism sent his confidence plummeting but after 10 days away with a hamstring injury he has returned in peak form and with praise from the manager and the fans ringing in his ears.

"I have been getting some stick this season but I never lost the belief that I could contribute fully to the team or stopped trying my best," he said after scoring the winner against Sunderland - only the third goal of his City career and first at Eastlands.

"It has been a tough season in terms of shifting positions and the number of games we have had to play but I feel good at the moment.

Confidence

"I have settled in at right back and I enjoy it a bit more than central defence because I get to be a bit more involved in the play. My confidence is back.

"Every player no matter who they are goes through ups and downs but recently I feel as if I have come back to my best and long may it continue.

"I believe in my ability and I think City and England fans know what I am capable of. It is just a matter of finding the kind of form I was in last season. I would be lying if I said that it didn't hurt me when I was dropped from the England side.

"I was a little unlucky to get an injury at the wrong time and then Wes Brown and Glen Johnson both came in and did a fine job and it has been hard for me to get back in.

"Football works in funny ways and I might get a chance in similar circumstances and then it is up to me to show the manager what I can do.

"A lot of things have been said about not being focused on my game this season but I have been. But I have been chopped and changed in my position, playing left back, right back centre back and even in the centre of midfield.

"I'm not going to make excuses but I'm happy playing right back and that's where I'm playing consistently now."

Richards has his eyes fixed on climbing another three places in the Premier League and reaching a UEFA Cup final.

"We are still aiming for that seventh spot that might get us into Europe next season," he said.

"That was the aim in the summer and it still is. It is tight in the middle of the table but we are on a good run at home where we have won six on the trot so we are feeling good.

"As for UEFA, we have a tough draw against Hamburg but we fancy ourselves against anyone if we play well. They beat us in pre-season but we are a lot sharper and fitter now."

Ideal

Boss Hughes admits that, in an ideal world, he would have taken Richards out of the firing line at some stage during a crowded campaign but a lack of depth, injuries and suspension never allowed him that luxury.

"I think it has been difficult for Micah," confessed the boss.

"He has burst on the scene and played exceptionally well for long periods but people forget how young he is and maybe should cut him a little slack because he has had a period when he has been playing week in and week out and you always know with young players that you are going to have to take them out of the firing line and then regroup to go again.

"Micah has not had that chance this season because he has been asked to play week in week out and in a variety of positions.

"He has played his way through a sticky patch and that is all credit to him. Micah probably still hasn't stopped growing and his body needs time to catch up. He is built like a sprinter and sometimes when he bursts forward because of his physiology he finds it difficult to get back quickly.

"We have recognised that and are working on it. He is not the finished article but what he is a player of great potential and it is up to us to make sure he realises that potential. His confidence is back now the goal at the weekend will help that."